An interesting take on the Celtics

Yeah, that's pretty good. It's all true too.

I'm not clicking on the link. I think trash talking is cool as hell. What's wrong with trash talking? Even better, a star is doing it in a suit. If James was in a suit and doing that, that would be great. Guys like Jordan and Bird used to trash talk everybody and get inside their heads. Guys have been doing that since they stuck up a peach basket. Cool.

Now, as for the shots to the clever nads and the kisser? Hey, if you can get away with it and concurrently help your team. What's more cool than McHale decapitating Rambis? That being said, when you're toying with another guys equipment, that isn't cool. Although I think Varejao is hiding a secret from the world, given the fact that he didn't feel a thing.

But the showboating, the dancing and the prancing, especially even before you've earned a ring? Not only that, but when your relative bench stiffs are also doing it? That's just "Hey, everybody look at me!" 21st century ESPN SportsCenter highlight-reel self-absorbed Broadway gay.

So, to answer this test and to summarize, the Celtics stuff is far more old school, belongs and will always belong, no matter what year it is. If it's the year 2100, it will still belong and still be cool. Except for the nads stuff. Not cool. But the showboating, dancing and prancing "Hey, look at me!" egotistical crap? Uncool. Gotta go. But the horses are already out of the barn in the visual sports world, and ESPN is here to stay.

And not to change the subject, but I think Ocker should be made the new Beacon Journal columnist. Or maybe an additional Beacon Journal columnist. If the Plain Dealer can have 36 sports columnists, then the Beacon Journal can have two. I don't know if Ocker is getting far more senile or just far more funny as he climbs into his 150s or 160s, or however many centuries old he is, but any guy who references both Borat and Al Bundy in his Cleveland Indians newspaper stuff certainly deserves a shot at being a columnist.

dancing on the bench is pretty silly.

but man, if you honestly think trash talking in a suit like that is cool that's messed up. i don't care if he wants to take a seat and talk but to get up in a dude who is actually in the game???? sit down gimpy or i'll take your knee out. old school? more like old fool.

terje, that's not messed up, that is damn cool. Especially in the playoffs. If you can affect a guy's head, that is great. I hate it when stars are sitting in suits as nothing but window dressing. What, do you think Garnett is the first guy in a suit to do that? What would you prefer, the M.L. Carr/Danny Ferry swinging the white towel over the head routine?

But a star in a suit who is just dying to play, but can't because of circumstances beyond his control, is trash-talking a guy who's been shooting the lights out and killing the team? Man, that is cool. That is a guy who wants to win. This is the playoffs. Cool. Now, if this was a game in the middle of December, that may be a little out there. But the playoffs? Whatever it takes to affect a guy's head.

terje, if the Bulls had a dude who was 20-feet-tall and weighed 3,000 pounds, and that guy also happened to be torching the Celtics in the playoffs like Gordon has been doing, Garnett wouldn't be doing anything differently than what you see in that photo. That's what I admire most about the guy.

What, just because he's intense 100% of the time doesn't change my opinion of him. I never said it's healthy or wise to rev on the red line every minute of every moment of every day, you're going to either burn out or give yourself a heart attack by age 40. I just admire his competitive intensity. I admire the way he can get inside an opponent's head, I admire the way he can get inside a teammate's head. I hate the word, but it's organic, it's obviously not a guy pretending to be something that he's not. Sh*t, the guy made Glen Davis, HIS OWN TEAMMATE, literally weep tears on the bench just by using words.

terje, it makes more sense if you look at it within the context of that game and that season. Nearly half of the season was gone, Minnesota was three games over .500 and still in the playoff hunt. They had absolutely nothing but Garnett. The guy is emotional, but he ain't stupid. If Garnett swings his fist instead of hitting McDyess with the ball, he's suspended for who knows how long instead of just one game, and the Timberwolves immediately flush their entire season down the toilet. That game was tied with five minutes left. That game also ended up being their fifth overtime game within a 17-day span. Without Garnett there would have been zero overtimes, because they would have lost before the game even reached the fourth quarter.

What are you talking about, andy? Zaza Pachulia isn't Garnett's size?

alan is right. garnett did manage to take a sissy cheap shot at pachulia. but when zaza got in his face earlier in the game garnett almost crapped himself.

garnett is a larger version of chris tucker. he's loud and that's about it.